About Dr. Laidler
James R. Laidler, MD is a forty-something physician who is board-certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. He is currently engaged in a career change (a mid-life crisis without the red sportscar or the mistress) from academic clinical practice to research and has taken sanctuary in graduate school.
During his medical career, Dr. Laidler has been an Army flight surgeon, opened a Pain Clinic in Anchorage, Alaska and worked as an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology. He is married to an extremely warm and tolerant woman and has two very active sons.
His interest in autism developed after his older son was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Delay (PDD), which is part of the "autistic spectrum." Within two years, his younger son developed classic signs of autism. Desperate to do something -- anything -- to help his children, he investigated innumerable therapies that were purported to cure or improve their condition. This desperation led to an extended foray into the field of "alternative" therapies.
With this perspective on autism and its various controversies, Dr. Laidler has devoted considerable time and effort to providing parents and other interested people with the best information available on autism and its treatments. After several years of consulting by telephone, he has decided to make his findings available to anyone with access to the Internet.